Six months of war in Iran cuts Hormuz traffic, kills 20

Nearly six months of war in Iran have crippled the Strait of Hormuz, squeezing commercial ship traffic and killing 20 seafarers and port workers in 68 incidents. Data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) shows about 6,000 seafarers and 500 ships remain stuck in the Gulf region. Before Iran closed the strait on 1 March in response to joint U.S. and Israeli strikes, about one-fifth of global oil and LNG exports moved through the route. The average number of commodity carriers passing through has now dropped to about 10 a day, from 95 a day in February. Traffic briefly improved after the June ceasefire, then fell again after fighting resumed on 8 July. The IMO says talks on safe corridors are continuing, while ships now choose routes close to the coast of Iran or southern lanes near Oman that carry mine risks.